Driven: Nissan’s second-gen Juke grows up

THE smallest member of Nissan’s SUV stable, the funky light-sized Juke crossover, has entered its second generation that is now on sale in Australian showrooms brandishing a new look, higher specification and increased dimensions.

Priced from $27,990 plus on-road costs for the baseline ST, the Juke’s entry point has increased by $3500 with the removal of a manual transmission variant, while the top-spec Ti grade comes in at $36,490.

The redesigned Juke has increased in all dimensions, measuring 4210mm long (+75mm), 1800mm wide (+35mm) and 1595mm tall (+30mm), bringing it close in stature to its one-size-larger sibling, the Qashqai small SUV.

However, Nissan Australia corporate communications director Karla Leach said the two models were not expected to cannibalise sales, due to each attracting different types of customers.

“They’re two very distinct personalities, and one of the key reasons that people buy a Juke is they like design, and they want to make a conscious design decision when they buy their car,” she said.

“So I don’t think it will necessarily cannibalise each other, but offer a choice for people who make purchase decisions for different reasons.”

Ms Leach elaborated that the type of buyer to opt for a Juke over a Qashqai was less about demographics such as age or geographic location, but more a type of mindset.

“So more about someone who – and you can tell by the level of detail both in the interior and exterior, that design (is key) – is making a statement about their own style is probably what’s going to drive a lot of Juke buyers,” she said.

“Whereas Qashqai is more of a traditional SUV-looking vehicle. It also does have a bit more interior space, so particularly if you need to use more luggage space you’ll probably look at Qashqai.”

Ms Leach would not discuss sales targets for the new Juke, with the outgoing model – first revealed in 2010 before a local arrival in 2013 – struggling to make much of an impact on the market in recent years as newer models curried buyers’ favour.

Last year, the Juke managed only 509 sales, down from 635 in 2018. Meanwhile, the light SUV segment’s most popular offering, the Mazda CX-3, racked up 14,813 units in 2019.

“We don’t discuss sales aspirations in terms of numbers, but we want it to really cement its position in that light SUV segment,” she said.

Nissan expects the mid-spec ST-L grade (from $33,490) to be the most popular, attracting about half of all sales across the four-variant range. The top-spec Ti should make up around a quarter, with the balance going to ST and ST+ (from $30,740).

While the outgoing range had a number of powertrain variants, the new line-up will be serviced by a single 84kW/185Nm 1.0-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine, driving the front wheels only via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Combined fuel consumption is pegged at 5.8 litres per 100km, while CO2 emissions stand at 136 grams per kilometre.

Boot space has increased from 354 litres to 422L, which can be expanded up to 1305L with the 60/40 split-fold rear seats.

The entry-level ST comes equipped with automatic LED headlights with high-beam assist, power-folding and heated door mirrors, daytime running lights, a rear spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the ST scores cloth seats with six-way manual adjustment for the driver’s seat, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with voice recognition, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a 4.2-inch instrument cluster display, and transmission paddle-shifters.

Driver-assist safety systems extend to autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, traffic-sign recognition, hill-start assist, intelligent trace control, a rearview camera and rear parking sensors.

The ST+, priced from $30,740, builds on the spec of the ST with LED foglights, automatic air-conditioning, DAB+ digital radio, satellite navigation, heated front seats and front parking sensors.

The ST-L adds 19-inch alloys, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming rearview mirrors, electric parking brake, push-button start, intelligent key, climate-control air-conditioning, drive mode selector, ambient interior lighting, leather-clad steering wheel and shift knob, partial leather trim, a front armrest, 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster display, rear USB port, six-speaker stereo, adaptive cruise control, moving object detection and a surround-view monitor.

The flagship Ti is fitted with privacy glass, 19-inch Akari alloy wheels, shark’s fin antenna, illuminated door sills, follow-me-home headlights, quilted leather/Alcantara seat trim, soft-pad visors, black chrome centre console, eight-speaker Bose audio system and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Juke comes standard in Fuji Sunset Red or Arctic White, with premium colours (Ivory Pearl, Burgundy, Platinum, Gun Metallic, Pearl Black and Vivid Blue) requiring a further $595 outlay.

Nissan has sold just 111 examples of the Juke so far in 2020, down 47.6 per cent year-on-year.

2020 Nissan Juke pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs